PRINCETON, N.J., July 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The third class of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellows, announced today, will bring both cutting-edge preparation and real-world expertise in math and science to Michigan's high-need urban and rural schools. (Visit 2013 WKKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellows for additional information on the Fellows).

This year's 51 WKKF-WW Michigan Teaching Fellows -- among them an engineer who helped design a semi-autonomous car, an ornithologist who teaches at a local nature center, a professional pilot, a college economics instructor and more -- will each receive $30,000 to complete a specially designed, cutting-edge master's degree program based on a year-long classroom experience. In return, Fellows commit to teach for three years in Michigan's high-need urban and rural secondary schools.

The 2013 class is the third group of Fellows named in Michigan for this program, launched by WKKF in 2009 with $18 million in support and administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in Princeton.

The program ultimately will provide more than 100,000 students with the level of instruction they need to contribute and thrive in Michigan's rapidly changing economy and workforce. Numerous studies have demonstrated that students in high-need schools are significantly less likely to have access to such teachers, particularly in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math).

"The research is clear – the most important factor affecting the quality of a student's education is the quality of the classroom teacher. Beyond that, effective educators can make a powerful and lasting impact on students in ways that can't be measured by test scores and report cards," said Sterling Speirn, president and CEO of the Kellogg Foundation.

Campuses working with the Fellows include Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Western Michigan University. These universities partner with local school districts where Fellows learn to teach in real classrooms from the beginning of their master's work, just as physicians learn in teaching hospitals. The 10 partner districts for these clinical placements, up from nine last year, include: Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Comstock, Detroit, Godfrey-Lee, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Wyoming and Ypsilanti.

"Michigan's economic future will be driven by the STEM fields," said Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. "Getting strong math and science teachers into Michigan's high-need schools means both creating opportunities for the young people who most need them and building the state's workforce. There's no greater need in Michigan education today, and we think these Fellows will do a tremendous job in helping to meet that need. They are amazing people, and they will change tens of thousands of lives."

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

About the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation of Princeton, New Jersey (www.woodrow.org) identifies and develops leaders and institutions to meet the nation's critical challenges, working through education.